by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics may be a small-market team playing in a dump they want to leave, but they're acting as if they've got more money than the New York Yankees these days, acquiring closer Jim Johnson from the Baltimore Orioles for backup infielder Jemile Weeks and a player to be named later.

The Athletics, who parted company with free-agent closer Grant Balfour, replaced him with Johnson, who saved 50 games last season for the Orioles.

This is the Athletics' second big acquisition in the last 24 hours, earlier signing free-agent starter Scott Kazmir to a two-year, $24 million contract.

Johnson has saved 101 games the last two seasons but the Orioles feared what Johnson would earn in salary arbitration. His contract projected to be about $10.8 million, according to Major League Baseball Trade Rumors.

"It's really about the allocation of resources and to have a competitive team,'' Orioles GM Dan Duquette told the Baltimore Sun, "you have to have proper balance."